Snapchat is changing its Spotlight recommendation system so fully AI-generated videos are no longer eligible for distribution through the short-video feed.
The company says it wants Spotlight to prioritize original work made by real people as low-quality and repetitive synthetic media becomes more common. The policy applies to videos created entirely by AI, not every post that uses an AI tool.
AI assistance remains allowed
Creators can continue using Snapchat's own AI features to edit or enhance their work. Those posts can still be recommended when they include the platform's transparency indicators. The distinction is between AI as part of a human creative process and a video produced wholly by a generator.
Snap says the number of unique Spotlight contributors has increased by more than 120 percent compared with the previous year. Protecting that community gives the company a business reason to make sure human creators are not crowded out by accounts that can generate large volumes of cheap content.
Detection will be the difficult part. Snapchat acknowledges that no system can perfectly identify synthetic video. Generators are improving quickly, and creators can combine real footage with artificial elements in ways that make simple labels unreliable.
The decision follows a wider shift across social platforms. YouTube has clarified that repetitive or mass-produced content may not qualify for monetization. LinkedIn has tested feedback for suspected AI slop, while other platforms are adding provenance labels and reporting tools.
Snapchat is not banning synthetic media from the service. It is using recommendation eligibility as leverage. That may prove more effective than removal because visibility and creator rewards are what make large-scale content production attractive.
